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“A Measles outbreak is spreading across the country”, states KUTV writer Chris Jones. Luckily enough said outbreak has yet to reach Utah, but there is still reason to be concerned. Measles is a viral infection, spreading from person to person through respiratory droplets produced from sneezing or coughing. It is said that the majority of people who have gotten measles weren’t vaccinated.

Despite the fact that it is easily preventable through the use of vaccines, “In a Beyond the Books investigation, it was discovered that there are dozens of schools across the state where more than 20% of the kids are not vaccinated”. Thus if a small child were to be infected it could very quickly become a serious problem; making it likely to even lead to illnesses that require hospitalization.

The Measles vaccine was first licensed in 1963, which led to the disease eventually being declared “dead” or “eliminated” from the US in the year 2000.

Measles is very easily transferable and occurs as a result of travel outside of the US. Doctors suggest that, in order to prevent either yourself or those around you from catching the most contagious of the infectious diseases, be sure to get vaccinated for the disease.

Even though the Measles has not made its way to Utah, there have been reported cases of the Mumps. “It’s not a matter of if, but when, measles will make its way to Utah”, states pediatrician and health activist Dr. Bill Cosgrove. Apparently it is unexpectedly easy to avoid getting children vaccinated in Utah because of the fact that Utah is one of 17 states to that will grant an exemption from a vaccination for personal reasons.

On top of that parents are no longer required to go to their local health department to fill out a vaccination waiver, and instead filling them out online; which is getting rid of the factor that allows for medical experts to give parents their advice and thoughts on vaccinations before the parents decide whether or not they decide to vaccinate their child/children.